1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method which perform a computation process on image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In three-dimensional computer graphics, the polygon model, in which three-dimensional objects are generally represented by a larger number of polygons, is employed. In rendering objects using the polygon model, shading is performed in which the surface of polygons are shaded in consideration of light sources, view points and the reflectivity of objects' surfaces. In order to generate a photorealistic image, texture mapping, in which a texture image is mapped to the surface of polygon model, is performed.
By incorporating the image processing technology in computer graphics, reality and presence are enhanced. Images of natural scenery picked up by a camera may be used as texture data, or moving images picked up by a video camera may be blended into computer graphics. Motion picture experts group (MPEG) is known as a standard technology in moving image compression. In MPEG-4, texture coding that uses wavelet transform characterized by flexible spatial resolution scalability is employed for application to computer graphics.
In order to process moving images in computer graphics, a rendering engine should have the functions for moving image coding and decoding. A rendering engine currently available is often designed to be programmable in order to adapt to a complex rendering algorithm. By programming a rendering engine, a variety of functions are embodied. In this background, providing a rendering engine with advanced image processing functions such as moving image coding and decoding has become envisaged.